


The Doctor's Son

by OneSmartChicken



Category: Doctor Who, Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: (it's the one you expect), Claudia is awesome, Crack, Minor Character Death, Mostly silly, No one knows what's going on, Stiles is the doctor's son, completely ridiculous, everyone is a BAMF, i haven't slept in a long time please somebody make me stop typing, i honestly don't know how to tag this, irregular updates though, no cliffhangers, that's a really long tag, this is a mess, total crack, you should come tell me where you want me to go with this because there's a lot of possibilities
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-04
Updated: 2015-04-04
Packaged: 2018-03-16 07:59:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3480470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OneSmartChicken/pseuds/OneSmartChicken
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After his wife handed the Doctor a fumbly baby boy during one of those ventures no companions came along for, the Doctor finds himself on Earth in the late nineties, where a bright-eyed young couple are celebrating their wedding. The freshly re-named Claudia Stilinski joins him in the TARDIS to serve less in the role of companion, and more as a babysitter and surrogate mother.</p><p>Years (hours) after Claudia finally returns to her husband and "normal" life, the Doctor asks for a favor.</p><p> </p><p>A series of near-oneshots told alternatively from the perspective of Claudia with the Doctor, and the newly-awakened almost-Time Lord Stiles on his werewolf misadventures.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Since I ignore everything that comes after like, halfway through Season 2, this subscribes to the popular fanon that Claudia Stilinski had cancer.
> 
> I wandered through some crossover fics and decided to write my own. There's at least one other fic where Stiles is the doctor's son, and I should probably link to it, but I'm pretty sure there's only like six fics in the doctor who/teen wolf tags so, find it yourself, oops. Inspired by the whole pair of tags and like, everything in general. I don't know, I really don't.
> 
> I am in the habit of giving fictional mothers killed off for tragic backstories their chance in the limelight, so hopefully you fall a little in love with Claudia.
> 
> If you know things about babies you may notice I forgot randomly how fast babies age and then hastily backtracked but was apparently too lazy to edit it appropriately. Shhh. Just roll with it.

Claudia Stilinski met a man who called himself the Doctor on her honeymoon. She met him because she heard his son crying. And his son was crying, because he missed his mother. Fort that matter, he was also hungry, but mostly he missed his mother, if in part because he associated "mom" with "milk." The moment she picked him up, he went quiet, staring up at Claudia with big brown eyes, and, really, how could she possibly not fall instantly in love with a look like that?

The Doctor appeared with his coattails aflutter and bowtie askew, and introductions occurred, milk was procured, all without the baby ever being set down.

So, with a baby in her arms, she stepped into a spaceship and flew away, as one does when asked along for an adventurous babysitting venture. She spent six months with the Doctor--or rather, with the baby, who's name was such a mouthful she suggested a nice nickname, which the Doctor liked as much as Stiles seemed to. They stopped by a prison to meet Stiles' mother, who laughed for a minute straight that the Doctor had acquired a 'nanny-companion', and then she cradled Stiles to her chest and cooed to her giggling little boy. River was wonderful, and Claudia ranted for hours about the unfairness of her imprisonment, even after River waved off the concerns, assuring her she was living a perfectly delightful life.

The Doctor told her about Gallifrey, sitting by Stiles' crib while he slept, the TARDIS drifting absently through the time vortex. He told her a lot of stories, about the companions he had had and the adventures he'd had with them. He told her about people he had lost, and those he had saved. But mostly he told her about wonder. He told her about things that had surprised and delighted him, things _he_ couldn't believe. He told her about dreams come alive, hopes personified. They had a few adventures of their own, in fact, Stiles safely sleeping away on the TARDIS, which had become extraordinarily careful in her landings.

Eventually he took her home, minutes after he had taken her away, and she returned to her husband at last, and he never knew about Stiles or the Doctor.

Or he wouldn't have, except three years later, the doctors gave her a hysterectomy in response to ovarian cancer.

The Doctor walked into the room after the _doctor_ had left. John would probably have yelled, if not for the baby cradled to the Doctor's chest; neither of them were in the habit of yelling around infants.

The Doctor smiled at her so sadly that Claudia couldn't even cry. She smiled, sniffling.

"Is that Stiles?" He handed her over, and she answered her own question. "Oh, Stiles," she cooed. "Hello my big pretty boy, how are you?" He was still so tiny. In fact, he looked exactly the same as when she saw him last. He probably was exactly the same, give or take a few hours; she was almost certain she had put this exact TARDIS blue onesie on him. She looked at the Doctor. "You knew," she said, and it was neither a question nor an accusation, merely an observation. The Doctor smiled again, apologetic, but not as sorry as someone else might have been. Claudia didn't mind.

Looking down, she smiled at Stiles, unable to help herself. He was hers, had been hers since the moment she picked him up. Even when River was there he was hers, and she and River hadn't minded; it took a village, anyway. Stiles gurgled delightedly at her, batting at her nose, and this was terrible, this was _cruel_ \--except the Doctor wasn't like that. He wasn't cruel, he just wasn't. She lifted her gaze to stare in confusion at him. He was still smiling that horribly sad smile, but there was a gleam in his eyes that she recognized. The gleam that said 'I'm a genius' and 'I'll fix it' and 'trust me' all at once.

Her mother used to tell her she was too trusting. Claudia's eyes crinkled when she smiled at the Doctor, the silly old man who wasn't half so mad as he claimed to be. The man who wanted so badly to believe in fairy tales that sometime he went and made them real. She'd heard something about his sad endings, the companions he lost, when he forgot to stop talking soon enough. He said, once, that she was too easy to talk to. She wasn't sure how to tell him those weren't sad endings at all. Didn't know how to put into words, about happiness and death and life. Maybe she'd figure it out some day, write it down and throw it into the wind and hope he found it.

"The TARDIS is no place for a child," he said, finally, simply, and when he smiled with gentle fondness at Stiles, Claudia caught on.

"Oh Doctor," she sighed, and the tears she'd been holding back spilled over. They sunk into Stiles' onesie, so she tried to wipe them away. When that didn't work, she shifted her hold on him so they just wouldn't land on his face.

"Hey, hey, none of that," the Doctor shushed, moving over to perch on the edge of her bed just as John claimed the other side, and they were both leaning over her, touching her with loving concern, for all that their loves were different.

A giggle burst free, followed by another as one realization followed the other. "Oh god, not even pregnant and still hysterical," she bemoaned the second realization before noting the second, smiling brilliantly through the tears. "At least I've got my three favorite boys with me."

Stiles let out a squall that was all fuss without the muss, giving his limbs a flail as he tried to twist his body around in her arms. He was so big, really, he wouldn't be cradle-able soon. He was more sitting on her lap as it was. She'd looked at enough baby books, learned from various people, to know he'd be walking and talking soon; for his age, in fact, she was fairly certain he was underdeveloped, although there was the factor of wibbly time, and the fact he was a--whatever he was. Gallifreyan descendent.

"Who's this, then, Clauds?" John murmured.

"Clauds, oh that's good, that's cute," the Doctor muttered, mostly to himself. Claudia smiled at her husband.

"John, this is the Doctor. On our honeymoon, do you remember me coming back to the room and dragging you right into bed?" She let out a delighted laugh at the red that rushed into his cheeks at the memory. "That was the Doctor's fault. See I went for a walk, and then I heard this little baby cry." She jiggled Stiles gently, earning herself a laugh. "And then this silly fool, he opens the door to this blue box, and it's huge inside, even though it looks like some old telephone booth on the outside."

"Police box," the Doctor chimed in, perpetually incapable of not being involved in conversations. Claudia had a sudden feeling that Stiles would be a lot like his father, as the chubby baby elected to pull two of her fingers into his mouth.

"So I went on an adventure, through time and space, because what else do you do when someone offers but go?" Claudia laughed again, because her husband was looking increasingly alarmed, but he had that look in his eyes too, the one he got when he decided to propose to her (it took him three months to pick out a ring and another week to actually propose, but she knew the moment he decided). The look that meant he was re-realizing how very much he loved her, and all the reasons why.

"Of course," he agreed drily. "What else?"

"Exactly," she ignored his sarcasm. "And I spent the whole time being a nanny for both these boys--"

"Hey!" the Doctor protested, but it was token at best.

"And it was wonderful. And I missed you the whole time, even when we were running from aliens. With laser guns," she elaborated, leaning closer and closer until she was practically grinning against his mouth.

"The whole time?" John asked incredulously, always so damned focused, although he certainly wasn't leaning away. "How long were you gone?"

"Oh, you know," she shrugged. "Six months." She kissed him before the words could register, laughing yet again when he jerked away from the kiss to squawk, "Six months!?" Oh this day certainly wasn't going how she'd expected.

She curled up on the bed, wrapping herself around Stiles, burying her face against him in an attempt to stifle her giggles.

"This is not how I expected this to go," the Doctor observed, earning a groan from John and another giggle fit from Claudia. "Is she always like this?" he asked and she finally gave in, threw her head back and laughed and laughed, until there were tears again that had nothing to do with sorrow.

"You should know, you apparently spent six months with her--on our honeymoon!" John complained, giving the Doctor a terribly affronted look.

"You look like an angry sparrow, sweetheart," Claudia teased, making no effort whatsoever to stop the intermittent laughter and giggles that continued to shake the whole bed.

"You look like a cat in the damn cream," he grumbled, but he leaned in and kissed her, and he was so perfect. "Can't believe you went on a space-time adventure. On our honeymoon!"

"You're very hung up on that last part," she pointed out. His glare suggested it was within his right. She didn't necessarily disagree, but she made a face like she was just allowing him his silly hang up, purely to make him pout.

"No questions, no need of proof, no--nothing?" The Doctor seemed baffled.

John looked him straight in the eye and said, "You spent all that time with her, and you still think anyone can question this woman?"

The Doctor considered this. "True," he allowed. Claudia beamed smugly. Stiles mumbled something around her fingers that was definitely supposed to communicate something, so Claudia hummed in agreement. This seemed to please him.

"He's tired," she observed, petting his downy hair.

"It's been six hours for us," the Doctor agreed. She thought back to their last day, then reached out to slap his arm.

"You brought him just in time for bed!? Doctor, it's noon, he's going to be off for days!" she whispered furiously. He at least had the grace to look sheepish, as he rubbed his arm.

"Ow," he whined, though he kept quiet as Stiles was visibly drooping against Claudia. She had wondered why he wasn't more talkative. She remembered him being quite the babbler. "I tried to time it better, I know, I'm sorry. The TARDIS likes you a lot."

The TARDIS did like her, it was true, Claudia had figured that out on day one when the TARDIS ignored the Doctor and brought them to some sort of dazzling space forest instead of whatever else he'd had in mind. She'd been missing the forest, on the beach with John for their honeymoon, which wasn't nearly as glamorous as that made it sound. Apparently being good with Stiles was a win in the TARDIS's book.

"You're really leaving him with us?" Claudia murmured, at which point John caught on with a soft gasp. He leaned in closer, and she took his hand so he didn't have to try and find hers. He clutched on tightly; obviously Stiles had given him the same look he'd given her, so long ago.

"I'm really leaving him with you," the Doctor confirmed, soft, but he was happier now, than he had been when he walked in.

And as it so happened, he really did. Together, he and John took care of the paperwork--which was completely hilarious from Claudia's perspective; John determined to break the law in the least law-breaking-y way possible, the Doctor barreling on without a care in the world--and within an impossible day, Stiles was officially Staw Stilinski, no middle name. They couldn't print his real name, after all, and Stiles had always been a nickname. Staw meant Pond, in Polish. It seemed appropriate, even if there was an awful lot of 'St-' happening there. The Doctor managed to stay with them for almost a week, mostly because he discovered some sort of _thing_ in town which Claudia almost didn't get involved in--right up until a werewolf (apparently) fell over in front of her car, and then she was running for her life and everyone elses', _again._

Eventually the Doctor left, and Stiles stayed. And a few years later, it stopped being her story to tell.

 

[[]]

 

Stiles met Scott in first grade. Scott doesn't remember it as clearly, but Stiles still knows the exact color of the sky when an asthmatic transfer student came and sat with him away from everyone else. They shared a bag of gummies Stiles's mom had given him, and that was it. Their big declaration of friendship was a bag of gummies. Sometimes, when he's feeling dumb and nostalgic and a little bit romantic, he buys Scott the same gummies. The packaging's changed a fair amount, but they're still basically the same.

Of course, that first bag was followed by years of loyalty and ridiculous overtures and huge explosions of almost entirely platonic love, but the gummies started it. He was pretty sure Scott's feelings of friendship didn't really solidify until about three days later, when they traded Pokemon cards (a Charizard for a shiny Pikachu), but it was the gummies that did it for Stiles.

Stiles's mom loved the stars. Stiles always thought it was a little weird she hadn't gone into astronomy or something the way she went on about the galaxies, but then she shared fantastical stories about aliens and other planets and he didn't think much about careers. He was just a kid anyway, even if he was a bonafide genius.

Mom told the best stories though. She told them with all her heart, in a way only she could do, and in a way that didn't quite carry to her reading books to him. Then again, Stiles thought his mom was best at everything. He was a total "mama's boy," and he never really had the chance to be embarrassed about it. His mom got sick, (again,) when he was eight, and she died when he was eleven. She told him, when she was dying, that she'd been lying and telling the truth for all his life, and she was sorry she wouldn't be able to tell him about that in person. Instead she gave him a little blue book, with a gold ribbon wrapped around it, and told him not to open it until he was ready to know what lies she'd told him.

It wasn't the fact that he was adopted--he'd known that as long as he could remember, a memory of a sad man and an amorphous _something_ that loved him very much lingering through everything. That had never changed the fact that Mom was Mom and Dad was Dad, though. He'd tried to be sympathetic towards Jackson, in grade school, but no one other than Scott had any idea he was adopted, and they weren't about to listen to him then. He didn't really understand why Jackson was upset anyway.

"More moms, more merrier," he remembered someone saying, and it sounded a bit like his mom, and a bit like the sad man, and a bit like someone else he didn't know.

But anyway, Stiles didn't open the book. He didn't really know why, though he could claim he didn't want to know what Mom had lied about. He just...didn't want to open it, though. That was it.

He put it in a hiding spot under his bed, not so no one would see it but so no one would _touch_ it, and then he...well, not quite _forgot_ about it, but he didn't think about it much.

And then one day his best friend got turned into a werewolf, and there was always one Mom story that stood on. The one where she almost hit a werewolf with her car. So he opened the book.

_Stiles, hey. It's Mom._

He immediately closed the book just to hit himself in the face with it because he'd forgotten what a _dork_ she was. Then he went back to reading, of course.

_Stiles, hey. It's Mom. Of course. You know that because I handed you this book. I assume, I mean, I'm writing this introduction when you're 9, because I just found this stupid journal on our porch because your biological father is an awkward jerk, which you shouldn't allow to ruin your image of him because he's also a child._

_Ha!_

_Anyway. I'm planning to hand this over to you in a dramatic fashion, just in case you're wondering where you got your flair for drama from. Ta da! Imagine jazz hands. If this is all scribbled out then I guess I changed plans but I'm using a pen to write this so I'm pretty committed to what I'm putting down I guess. I always hated pens. Your biological father (shortening to biodad starting now) has a general dislike for permanence and I always assumed he hated pens too, although I don't think I ever actually saw him write anything other than official forms. And in the journal he sorta-kinda shared with your biomom. Which he seemed to just use whatever was at hand for, including pens, so maybe he didn't care? I mean he was (is, still, I assume) a time traveller so maybe pens don't register as all that important._

_Oh hey right, spoiler alert (hey look, inside joke with your biomom, I'm so great) your biodad's a time-space traveller. Those stories I told you were true. Mostly. I included the unedited versions in here. I'm so glad they're all PG because there's a chance you're going to run home immediately after I give this to you and read it. Or maybe you'll wait a few years, like until something happens or maybe you just get really bored (I raised you, and your biodad is basically a glorified squirrel, it's a reasonable possibility) in which case you still won't want to hear any R adventures I might have gone on. Look I know it's supposed to be progressive or whatever to be open about sex with your kids, but apparently you're gonna lose me pretty young so, you don't want that imagery. I don't want that. No one wants that. Your mom never had sex, just embrace that, it's cool, I'll forgive you from beyond the grave._

_Oh but hey, make sure your daddy gets some. I mean, don't pimp out my husband, and you probably don't want to matchmake for your dad, but maybe just a general topic of 'dating is healthy move on let go' etc thrown out there after a healthy grieving period? Which, pretty important, a healthy grieving period is maybe a year. Two, max. Hopefully I'll remember to tell you guys this since otherwise you might not see this message for like, a decade, but I should also write it down for future reference. It sucks a lot, honey, I know, and I'm so sorry, but you have a space dad and a space mom and you're basically going to be the awesomest person ever, so get your shit together._

_There's a pocket watch in the attic, in my mother's jewelry box, because that is obviously the best hiding spot. Open that up if you get into trouble and/or really really bored. Apparently it'll do a thing, hopefully more helpful than going ding when there's stuff (that's actually a machine your biodad has, and I quote, okay) and it should call your biodad to you. If nothing else, you can hop a ride in the TARDIS. It totally loves you, you probably don't even need to bring the idiot along._

_You should bring him though. He's not actually a jerk, though he is sometimes a little bit of an idiot, and he loves you a lot._

_Okay this is like five pages of introduction and I still have to write all those stories. My wrist is sore. Why? I don't think that's fair, I use my wrists for things._

_Anyway I love you, you're always loved, you're going to be amazing, conquer the world, enjoy the stories, take care of your dads without hurting yourself, all that good stuff. You've got a secret space family that I've been telling you stories about all your life, surprise!  
Love, Mom_

Stiles laid his head down on his desk and simultaneously cried and wondered how this could possibly be his life. It was ridiculous. How could this possibly be real? It couldn't, that was just--that was a fact. There was no way this was his life.

Eventually, Stiles sat back up and turned to Chapter One (it was actually labeled that, at the top, with a fancy border and little underline and a cute trim. His mom had drawn scribbled a flower in the corner, at the bottom though rather than out of the way so the words were cramped slightly around it. Apparently the intro had a theme to set.) He accepted his bizarre fate and continued reading.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gosh the feedback for this is insane. I spent about 10 minutes just rocking back and forth with my face covered it was pathetic and delightful, I can't actually stop grinning.
> 
> It sounds like no one would mind if I just run around doing what I like(and I got some GREATAMAZINGAWESOME ideas from y'all, I'm sorry I can't do ALL of them, since a few would clash with each other), so he's the next part, which is mostly about Claudia--I had a lot of fun with this, and I hope you'll all enjoy it! I really do love Claudia, and I'm not sure how much attention the Doctor will be getting in Stiles' parts, so I let him steal the show a little. (Hopefully he's not completely ooc!)
> 
> The writing style got a bit out of hand, so this is mostly about Claudia. Oops? Maybe? I dunno. An OC intruded, because it seemed to be in true DW style. ("Write a fic about Stiles!" they said "Oh sure," I said and then wrote a fic about Claudia)
> 
> The timelines for this series as pertaining to the actual canons of the two shows are kind of nebulous-gray-area. Erica, Boyd, and Allison are all alive, Jackson is around because I need my Jackiepoo, and events have only occured up to around the end of Season Two, despite the implications I made that Stiles read this during early Season One. For Doctor Who, it's post-Ponds, but otherwise very heavily gray area. I haven't really decided where on the Clara timeline this is taking place.
> 
> I'm not gonna lie to you guys, I typed this weeks ago (it was basically finished about two days after I posted the first chapter), but I freaked out too much to actually post it. Oops? I'm really hoping you guys like htis.
> 
>  **Warning:** I have a potty mouth and you can too!
> 
>  
> 
> Okay I lied in the beginning notes, apparently the Doctor's going to be a starring character in both POVs, because SOMEONE (squints at [strictlyhighbuttonshoes](http://archiveofourown.org/users/strictlyhighbuttonshoes)) went and derailed my original intentions which is fortunate for you cause I think this just at least a few chapters longer, depending on how many of Stiles and Claudia's space adventures I actually type up. I hope you all liked Kugju because she's not going to be the only OC in here. It's not my fault, blame DW.
> 
> For the record, I was _very_ tempted to bring Scott along. I may yet do that. I'm not sure how much you're going to see of the pack for a while, but the next chapter should be all about Stiles (I'm currently planning on alternating) so whoohoo!
> 
> And this is the very last time I'm going to warn that I ignore all canon ever, so you'll be finding out how Stiles works, physically and mentally, as we go along.

_ Chapter One _

_I'm not gonna lie, it's been about a month since I finished the intro. You've been pretty active lately, but that's just an excuse. Writing is exhausting, did you know that? I'm so used to these stupid computers, it's shameful. I'm ashamed. Not very ashamed, of course, because writing has literally always been awful. But still._

_Anyway. Adventure numero uno. So to start with, it was totally an accident. See, we wanted to see this really cool space forest thing. It was awesome. At first. The trees were all black with silver leaves and I'm pretty sure there like four moons! There were a lot of melanistic animals, which was actually the word he (as in the Doctor) used so I have no idea what most of these things looked like normally. At least slightly more colorful, I presume. They were cool as hell, no lie. Like this really sleek little bird, kinda peacocky I guess, except better. It ate meat, let's leave it at that, because if I try to describe everything I will have so many regrets._

_So, it was cool, right? It was, really. Super cool. If you don't agree you're wrong. Take my word. Mother knows best._

_So we left you in the TARDIS, the blue box. I feel like I need to backtrack, sh ~~i~~ oot. I can't really tell you everything, that's probably for your biodad to tell you and I don't really know everything anyway, but you probably need a recap._

_The Doctor's from a planet called Gallifrey (yes you are at least half alien; the alienness of your biomom is a little up for debate but your maternal grandparents were basically human, apparently). Gallifrey was destroyed sorta, not really but close enough, a really long time ago. Centuries long. Maybe not by linear our time, but from the Doctor's perspective at least. From what I gather, Gallifrey was pretty awesome, and you're not the Doctor's first kid, although I didn't ask what happened to the others. "All my people are dead" is a little self-explanatory. I don't know how he managed children previously and yet was so utterly incompetent with you. Mysteries of the universe._

_I hope you're not as long-winded as me, or if you are I hope you at least don't have to leave anyone a long, hand-written jounal, this is awful, I'm going to get a sandwich. How do people do this?_

_Sandwich stain-- > ***  
Mustard is the enemy._

_~~Where was~~ Gallifrey was lost, but before that the Doctor stole what's called a TARDIS. "Time somethingsomething Dimension something Space." It's sort of fuzzy, he only said it once, cut me some slack._

_Basically, space/time machine. Super nifty. The Doctor's been traveling in it for something like 1000 years, give or take a few centuries? The Doctor's a Gallifreyan and a Time Lord, not necessarily the same thing I think???? ~~But~~ ~~So~~ When he dies he doesn't actually die, he regenerates into a new body. The last couple have been rather pretty, I feel like you should know that. Your biomom is prettier. You got good genes, kid. The point is_

_I don't know what the point is, was that a good enough recap I hope it was MOVING ON!!!_

 

~*~*~*~

 

Claudia tucked the baby carefully into his crib, a solar system spiraling lazily above him. He batted at her, muttering sleepy little complaints until she leaned in to pepper his face with kisses. The Doctor, as the stranger had introduced himself, had given her a long string of syllables when she asked for the baby's name. She had yet to figure out how to pronounce it, or even think it as anything other than a jumble of noises. He let out a little giggle, before sighing and finally letting go of his stubborn grip on the waking world.

At least whatshisname was finally asleep, she supposed, petting the hyperactive infant's soft hair. He was a beautiful little thing, in the way everyone meant when admiring their new baby. He had fuzzy light-brown hair, and rosy cheeks, and a tiny uptilt to his teeny nose. Whoever had dressed him had picked a onesie with a tie painted on the front, which looked rather silly on him, but suitable as well. Like nothing could really _not_ suit him.

She was utterly smitten with the baby, in summary.

Sighing, she leaned back, hand tucked into the small of her back. Oh, it ached. Her nose crinkled, disgruntled by the pain. She moved the hand to her neck with a grimace. Babies were a workload. She hadn't even held him an hour and she felt like she could sleep for a year.

"You're good with him," the Doctor commented, stood aside wearing a small smile, with his hands clasped elegantly in front of him. Claudia had half forgotten he was there. She turned to smile back at him.

"I love children," she told him. "Always wanted one or two." His smile grew.

"You wanted to be a teacher," he stated, softly. Gently. Her own smile grew into a grin with a sheepish little laugh.

"I did," she confirmed. "Decided the first day of school. And then in high school, that dream poofed, and suddenly I wanted to see the world. Saw a lot of my country, and some of others."

"Want to see another galaxy?" he asked with the excitement of a child. Claudia gave the only possible answer to a question like that:

"Hell yeah!"

Claudia laughed in delight, as the bigger-on-the-inside blue box turned her every worry light as a feather. She felt like she could float, like nothing could ever hurt her, not in here. She rushed after him as he spun away, a skip to her pace, and there was not a doubt in her mind that whatever he was about to show her would be absolutely astounding.

 

~*~*~*~

 

_He did not disappoint._

 

~*~*~*~

 

The Doctor threw open the door, stepping just out of her way as she picked her way forward. There was no sand in sight outside, none of the palm trees and low grasses she'd left when stepping into the TARDIS. Instead, she poked her head out, and gasped at towering trees unlike anything she'd seen before. They took her breath away, along with her words and mind, everything but her heart, soaring with wonder.

The bark was an inky black, and though the leaves looked dull gray in the shade, higher up where the sunshine touched, spectrums twinkled across them. An animal cried out, heralding a small primate as it lunged from the leaves of one tree in order to latch onto the branch of another. It peered curiously down at them, fur nearly as dark as the bark it leaned against. Its mouth opened to let out a serious of chirps, a familiar, curious tilt to its head.

Claudia squealed. "It's so cute!" she cried, clapping her hands to her cheeks. "Oh my gosh, Doctor, it's adorable!" Turning around, she grabbed him by the sleeve, giving him a little shake and grinning at him, almost a challenge in her face. _Show me more!_ her expression demanded, and the Doctor couldn't not oblige. It wasn't like showing her more hadn't been his intention all along, after all.

"Wait until you see the babies," he told her gleefully. With her hand tucked into the crook of his arm, he escorted her gallantly from the TARDIS, taking long strides out onto springy, dark blue-green grass.

"Wait!" The door, which had begun to creak shut, paused in time with the Doctor. Claudia's hand tightened on his arm. "What about Stiles?" He stared at her, but Claudia only stared back.

"Stiles?" he finally asked. She nodded her head frantically. "You mean--" and then he let out some sounds which were _probably_ the same ones he had used to refer to the baby earlier. Claudia nodded again.

"Stiles is the only sound I can actually pick out of that," she explained, impatient for him to answer her. Settling now that he knew what his new...companion was on about, he pulled a small gray device out, wiggling it at her. A screen displayed a small picture, a familiar image from a slightly skewed perspective. Tiny fingers curled, mouth moving absently, eyes closed in peaceful rest. He shifted a bit, and the device let out a soft, sleepy sound, slightly distorted.

"A baby monitor!" she exclaimed this time, relaxing.

The Doctor grinned. "Of sorts," he agreed. "It'll let us know if he starts waking up, and the TARDIS won't let anything near enough to do him any harm. Shall we go now?" He pocketed the monitor as she latched onto his arm once more.

"We shall!" she declared, and they strode off.

 

~*~*~*~

 

_The people of the planet, which was apparently named Cliske, were mostly about waist-height, with the usual size variations. They were bipedal, with kinda dog-like faces and a covering of short fur. They had a very 80s fashion sense though, just in case you were taking them seriously. The Doctor said they 'know how to party.' That was how he introduced them, actually. I can confirm that; they were very good at partying._

_They were also unfortunately skilled at spawning mad scientists._

 

~*~*~*~

 

"What the hell are those things!?" Claudia screeched, ignoring the very certain sense that this was not the first time someone had screeched those words at the Doctor under similar circumstances.

"Running!" the Doctor shouted back, although it should be noted he was less 'running' and more 'loping in a gazelle-like fashion.' A more wildly-limbed man she had yet to meet.

"Helpful sort, ain't he?" Kugju, their local guide, asked as she kept easy pace with Claudia. Kugju was an almost irritatingly level person, and though Claudia was fleeing with all her might, the little dog-woman looked entirely at ease.

"Do your people often create crazed robot armies?" Claudia demanded.

"Robot? No," Kugju shook her head. "Armies?" She made a face that did not quite fit on a canine muzzle, holding out her odd furred hands to make a vague gesture.

"Fantastic," Claudia groaned.

"That's my line!" the Doctor cried.

"I hate you!" she informed him. "Duck!"

"Where?" Like a comedy routine from the Stooges, the Doctor skidded to a halt, turning, and managed to smack directly into a low wooden beam; understandably, the city was not built with their proportions in mind. The fact that the vigdigu favored open spaces was pure luck, really. Claudia grabbed him on her way by, dragging him along while he was still wobbling a bit from the thorough braining. She put great effort into not laughing, as it was very difficult to both run and laugh. Kugju had no such qualms however, and guffawed outright.

The Doctor glared, but Kugju's smile was unrepentant. Not to mention that the effect of glaring was greatly reduced by fleeing for one's life. They skidded around a corner, all three helpfully pulling and pushing at each other. The sounds of their feet pounding and labored breathing were nearly drowned out by the clatter of hundreds of mechanical limbs, metallic teeth chomping at their heels. It was fortunate Claudia had already taken her time marveling at the city, for she had no time just then to appreciate a city crafted entirely of black wood and yet somehow comparable in advancement to 21st century earth. It truly was a spectacular city, the black wood interrupted by streamers and murals of outstanding colors, reflecting the heavily dyed attire of the local populace.

Kugju herself was a perfect representation of her culture. Over fur patterned like a tan-point shiba inu, she wore a tunic made of a teal fabric painted with gold fish-things. A sash of yellow was drawn snug around her waist, separating the top from a pair of loose, billowy trousers, which were a calm tan, but a strip of white ran down the outer side of either pantleg. Neon pink "socks" with holes cut out for toes and heel cut off the pants at upper calf, running down her ankles to her feet, which were far more canine than human. Claudia had seen all manner of scifi movies, but somehow the psychedelic color scheme was unexpected. It was also remarkably terrible for blending in.

"You look like an actual target on two feet," Claudia said. They all three winced at the sound of one of the robots screeching.

"You look like a flesh clump," Kugju retorted.

"I don't even know if I should be offended," she admitted, to which the alien--or, rather, _local_ \--grinned.

"Can we maybe insult each other later?" the Doctor demanded.

"Who's insulting? I'm just observing," Kugju said innocently. "Oh look," she added, "Safety!" She ducked away and they followed as she kicked open a door, promptly shutting it behind them. All three stood, frozen, barely breathing as they listened to the robots clatter by. Though the clawed, mechanical monsters had seemed terribly advanced to Claudia, they bypassed their hiding spot without apparent pause, and with great speed.

They waited until they couldn't hear a single clinking gear before heaving a collective sigh of relief. Claudia dropped herself down right there on the floor, while Kugju hopped up to sit on a table that Claudia would expect to see in a children's room. The Doctor, ever a font of energy, bustled around with his sonic screwdriver out, apparently having some sort of goal in mind.

Light, as it turned out, when he let out a quiet, "Aha!" in time with a dim glow filling what turned out to be a kitchen, clearly attached to a restaurant. Much like the colorful clothes, it surprised Claudia more than it should have how similar Kugju's people were to her own. In fact, most of the city was busy with a festival, which was as convenient as it was not. At least there weren't any innocent bystanders to get caught in their mess. That also meant there was no form of, say, police, to lend a hand.

What she wouldn't give for John's gun just then.

 

~*~*~*~

_I didn't find out until later that the Doctor is stupidly opposed to guns. Not that that isn't kinda cool. Very Batman, you'd say. Do you still love Batman? I bet you do, even if you're reading this at 30! You're a boy after your mom's heart. Once we get a love in our hearts, we don't let it go, no matter how silly. I still have like, four Kirk posters, you know. If she didn't get rid of it, there should be a box full of Star Trek stuff in your grandnana's attic, actually. I'm leaving a pretty good legacy._

_It's really hard to stay on track. I'm gonna go ahead and blame the medicine. Because I can. I blamed chemo when I bumped some poor woman's fender. I am a terrible person. It was a tiny ding, whatever._

_So we hid out in a restaurant. Your biodad got the lights on, and then did this broody thing where he paces around and talks to himself a lot and it was kinda annoying. Kugju threw a pinecone at him. I have no idea where she got the pinecone from. I never asked, either. I'll never know. I don't even want to know. There'll probably be some logical explanation and after years of thinking about her and that magical freaking pinecone, I would be terribly disappointed._

_It was a big pinecone too! At least as big as her head! Where did she have it? Was there a pinecone in the restaurant? Was she carrying it all along and I didn't notice? Was it wizardry!? I'm going with magic. If there are dog people, there should also be magic._

 

~*~*~*~

Claudia and Kugju filled the kitchen with peels of laughter as the Doctor stared, puzzled, at the pinecone he had just seemingly run into. It took him nearly a minute to drag himself out of his own brain long enough to realize the pinecone had been _thrown._

"You!" he cried, pointing vaguely in _their_ direction, with the pinecone. "That's very rude!" he told them, over their renewed laughter.

"Oh shut up," Claudia told him, still giggling a bit, when his pouting went on too long. "You were being annoying. Come on, spaceman." She patted the floor beside her invitingly. "Tell us your plan."

He swayed in place, pouting at the pinecone, for a few moments longer, but inevitably gave in. The Doctor huffed as he sat down, just as accepting of a floor seat as Claudia. Hands on his knees, he leaned forward and, _finally_ , told them the damn plan. It was hair-brained, stupid, hopeless, and probably just crazy enough to work.

"I honestly don't know how you're still alive," Claudia said as she stared in awe at the moron she'd followed blindly into space. The Doctor visibly took this as a compliment, preening a bit. Claudia looked at Kugju, who looked supremely amused, and entirely on-board with the scheme. "I'm going to die," she told her with utmost seriousness.

"Someday," Kugju agreed cheerfully. "Ready to kill us some weird robots?"

"Oh, absolutely," Claudia nodded immediately.

 

~*~*~*~

 

_Kugju was awesome. I loved her. I wanted to be her sister or something._

_Your dad just asked me what I've been 'scribbling at like a demented scientist for the past week' so I guess it's time I fess up; these entries aren't being written in one go. They're really long. I hope I don't have to get a second journal, that would kinda ruin it. This one's so pretty and it's poetic. If the Doctor hadn't left this one, I'd absolutely be typing this. I hate writing._

_I read you_ My Father's Dragon _last night. It was weird. Reminded me of these journals._

_Back to the robots. So, the three of us came up with a plan. I admit, it was mostly Kugju and the Doctor doing the planning, but I wasn't completely useless. And I got to be the star of the show!_

 

~*~*~*~

 

"Bait!?" the Doctor gasped. "Claudia is not going to be bait!"

"Oh shut up, Mr. 'Look-At-Me-I'm-A-Distraction.' Being bait sounds fun, I'm in," Claudia said. The Doctor was worse than John sometimes, honestly.

Not that John would have supported her being bait, but he was at least slightly more inclined to just give in when she put her mind to things. The Doctor clearly needed more training.

"Claudia, you could be killed," he said darkly. Kugju watched them like a hockey match, a look in her eyes like she was waiting for a tooth to fly. Probably so she could catch it and keep it as a souvenier.

"We just ran from giant robot monsters, sweetheart, I think we have sailed right past 'you-could-be-killed' territory," she retorted.

"This is not the same thing and you know it," the Doctor told her sternly. "Running into them was an accident, this would be purposely putting yourself in harm's way. Think of John, if nothing else, Claudia! What would he do if his new wife just disappeared?"

"Probably assume I got eaten by a shark, honestly," Claudia answered after a thought. It was true. In fact, he'd warned her at least five times about sharks just on the drive over. _'It's shark season, Clauds,'_ he insisted. _'That means no swimming at night, and no swimming without a lifeguard on-hand!'_

The Doctor made a loud, indistinct squawking sort of noise, like he was horrified by reality. Or Claudia, more like.

"Dunno what a shark is, but you're probably less likely to get eaten by them metal chompers," Kugju interjected helpfully. "That's parta the plan, I mean. To not let you die."

Groaning, the Doctor spun away, having flounced to his feet during the planning process.

"I give up!" he declared. "Fine, whatever, be bait!"

"Thank you for your permission." Claudia beamed. She got to be bait.

 

~*~*~*~

 

_I totally got to be bait._

_Don't let fiction convince you otherwise. Being bait is the best._

 

~*~*~*~

 

"Doctor, Doctor--I just. Doctor, listen," Claudia was rambling, pressing a finger to the device in her ear even though Kugju told her at least ten times that she didn't need to. "Are you listening?" The Doctor made a little _hmm_ noise that she decided to take as confirmation. "I am telling you right now, we need these. They're like--they're superhero comms, Doc. We need them. We will live longer with them." _Hmhmm._ "If you don't tell me right now you have some form of your own, I'm either stealing some or getting Kugju to give us some, because there is not a single situation that could not be improved by comms. Not one, Doctor."

"...Did you call me _Doc?_ "

"What did I do to deserve you?" Claudia asked. "Did I punch babies in my last life? Was I actually, factually Hitler?"

"You know, River tried to kill Hitler," the Doctor remarked, off-hand. He was doing that distracted thing he did when he was working on something potentially important. Claudia had only been with him about, oh, eight hours but she already knew it well.

"River as in your wife?" She sighed, resigning herself to living life without comm units. Well, maybe. Kugju loved her. Kugju would give her some, if she asked nicely. But they probably wouldn't work anywhere off-world or something. Maybe if she timed it right, the Doctor could sonic them, like her cell phone.

"Mother of my son, yes," he mused.

"Well, good, that's. That's wonderful. I'm glad Stiles' parents are so...upstanding?" She'd go with upstanding. Time travel was confusing. "Killing Hitler seems like it'd be damaging to like, time and stuff."

"And stuff." He sounded amused. Such an ass, seriously. No wonder she liked him.

"Sorry to interrupt your weird flirt thing," Kugju said, sounding not-at-all apologetic. "But you got metal chompers comin your way, hon."

Claudia wondered what the actual term Kugju was using that the TARDIS translated as 'hon.'

"Oh boy, I'm glad I brought my running shoes," Claudia said. Which was misleading because she hadn't actually, but she had gotten a pair off the TARDIS. The Doctor had a fabulous wardrobe and Claudia had every intention of playing dress-up in there as soon as she got the chance. Stiles would probably enjoy her putting on a show.

She could hear them coming, not even a minute after Kugju's warning. They weren't subtle; why should they be? They were death machines, metal monsters of dagger claws and snapping teeth, their gears whirring and squealing as they scrambled over walls, like giant, horrible geckos. A whole pack of them was heading for her, though not the whole herd, which the Doctor had estimated numbered in the hundreds. This was half a dozen at most, which was still overkill for one puny human. They were smaller than her, not counting the three feet of whip tail, but they made her feel diminutive none the less.

"Howdy boys," she greeted with a finger wriggle, only to reconsider. "Or girls. Or other! Woah, hey!" She jumped back, dodging gnashing teeth. They caught on her skirt, but it was the fluttery sundress she had been wearing on the beach. The soft material parted easily on one of its teeth and slid free. It was several jumps and a short scramble to get out of reach of those claws. Just enough to turn around, put her heels down, and run. None of that panting, scattered bull she'd done with the Doctor and Kugju, not a panicked flee. This time she was prepared.

Claudia dug her toes into the mossen street, put her shoulders back, her head forward, and _ran,_ full tilt. Her legs stretched, arms pumped, and her every muscle burned. It was damn good she only had to keep this up for a few blocks, because there was no way she could do this long-term.

"I hope you two are ready!" she shouted, unable to access any other volume level with her heart pounding away in her throat.

"We're ready, just keep running!" the Doctor shouted back, like he was the one with mechanical monster lizards nipping at his heels. God, she really hoped he wasn't, that would _seriously_ mess up their plans.

But despite her fears, a series of huge, chain nets dropped from the roofs, ensnaring the robots. The people on the roof let out whoops and howls of triumph, jumping gleefully. Claudia doubled over, hands on her knees, to catch her breath. The Doctor snatched her up into a hug, laughing, and she managed to return the gesture.

Victory sang through her veins, and when Kugju showed up, grinning hugely, Claudia leaped into the air with a whoop of her own.

 

~*~*~*~

 

_After that, it was just a matter of finding their maker. I didn't really do much but follow the Doctor around and look pretty, but it was cool to watch. He traced their signal with his sonic, and Kugju and I kept the guy talking for a whole few minutes while the Doctor disabled the whole lot of them. He pranced around doing a whole show and bravo thing for the villain, and I might have gotten kinda ~~pis~~ ticked off. I kinda smashed his machine. It totally deserved it though, honey, I'm telling you._

_Kugju told me they were gonna turn all the robots into scrap, which is a little disappointing; when they weren't trying to murder people, they were really cool. Very 'kick-butt', as you told me today. I wouldn't have minded a tiny one for a pet._

_I wanted to bring Kugju along, but the Doctor said no, so we parted with well-wishes and pleasantness. I love that dog-woman. Which is apparently not a derogatory term. I asked. They don't even know what dogs are, but I explained it to Kudju and she just shrugged and admitted she'd been thinking of me as 'chikle woman'. Apparently chikles are monkey things. So it was pretty accurate!_

_After that, your biodad asked me if I wanted to go home. I told him heck no! I wanted to see the universe! So he asked me if I wanted to go pick up John, and, well, I explained it to both of them, so I should explain it to you too._

_Your dad, John, he's a wonderful man. He is kind and sweet and gentle, and he is the bravest person I have ever known. He is everything I could ever want in a husband, in a life partner, just as you are everything I could in a son. But John Stilinski is not a time/space traveler. He's a small-town cop who loves his job, and his family, and his home. There's nothing wrong with that, and if I couldn't return to exactly when I left him, I would definitely have dragged him along. He probably would even have enjoyed it, maybe. But I was young, sweetie, and I was freshly married, and there a baby and a spaceship. I wanted an adventure, or a bunch of adventures, as it turned out._

_I could have died. That would have been terrible, for your dad, and your biodad. But it would have been worth it, in a way. I wouldn't give up the life I had with you for anything, but I wouldn't have regretted dying either. Live a good life, sweetheart, with as few regrets as you can manage._

_Wow that was way more depressing than I intended. On to the next adventure!_

 

ooo

 

Stiles jumped, slamming the book closed, at the sound of someone tapping on his window. He twisted around, wide-eyed, as his heart slammed against his sternum, only to find familiar puppy eyes peeking at him.

"Scotty, Jesus!" Stiles cussed. "You almost gave me a fucking heart attack!" He shoved the book casually onto his desk, where it just so _happened_ to get covered by paper, and got up to open the window. He didn't know why he even locked it at this point.

"Sorry, bro," Scott said sincerely. "You okay?" He frowned at Stiles' face, concern growing quickly. Stiles reached up, surprised to find tears on his eyelashes. He dashed the wetness away with a quick swipe of his hand.

"Yeah," he waved off. "Yeah, I'm fine. Been reading awhile. What's up, buddy? Come on in, it creeps me out when you just perch there all bird-like."

He should tell Scott. He should, he knew it, but just--it was big. And he hadn't even made it past the first chapter. And what did he know, really? Did it even matter? Sure his biodad (good word, he was stealing it) was an actual alien, but how did that change anything? His mom gave him some sort of backup plan, but didn't even know what it did. She told him stories about other planets. And--that was it. 

So he should tell Scott--he _would_ tell him. Just as soon as he actually had anything to tell.

Fortunately the half-truth didn't register as a lie, which was probably more Stiles' doing than Scott's incompetence; Scott was improving as a werewolf by the day, actually. It was just that Stiles was also improving as a human who lived with werewolves. Basically, lying was only one of the skills he'd improved.

Stiles backed off to claim his desk chair again as Scott climbed in, dropping without hesitation onto the bed. He took a moment to appreciate the familiar smells of the room, as he tended to do. The McCall house was smelling more wolf-y all the time, but the Stilinski house still smelled like Stilinski, even with the increasingly regular werewolf visitors.

Stiles wondered if it smelled more "human" because half of the resident Stilinskis weren't human at all.

"So, what's up, Scotty-ma-boy?" Stiles asked with a crooked grin. With that cheerful, customary invitation, Scott set in to tell Stiles all about the latest "werewolf lessons," detailing every grueling, and occasionally very silly, exercise Derek had put the betas to. He also mentioned the latest creepiest thing Peter had done, which wasn't as fun as it used to be; Peter had mellowed out some.

Eventually Scott left, and Stiles went back to his book.

Only to be interrupted.

By a crash.

"No, no, no, this is all wrong!" declared a voice below his window, accompanied by the faint hiss of steam. "This is not where we're meant to be at all!" He sounded very disgruntled, and very British.

Stiles exchanged a look with his mother's journal, which looked suspiciously innocent. Pushing off from the desk, he walked to the window once more, tugging it quickly open. The man, whoever he was, didn't seem to notice, as he continued ranting aloud to whoever was with him. Stiles propped his arms on the windowsill and leaned out, peering down.

A rather tall, long-limbed man was pacing below, stalking, really, around a rather battered looking box of some kind. A bit like an old telephone box, the old wood was painted a vibrant blue, and with the help of the light gleaming at its top, he could just make out the words "POLICE BOX."

Stiles looked to the journal again, which somehow looked less innocent than previously. Possibly on account that it was precisely the same color as the box below.

Leaning out the window, Stiles interrupted the man with a yell. "Hey!" he called. "You wouldn't happen to be the Doctor, would ya?"

The man looked up, and a face as goofy as it was attractive split in a big, open-mouthed grin. He let out an avalanche of syllables that were _almost definitely_ a word, and that, well. That kinda answered that question, actually.

"Mom was right," he called down. "You have the strangest timing." He continued before the Doctor could say a word. "Wait there, I'll be right down."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, was it worth the wait? I really am sorry about that. I seriously freaked out though. Like I got so psyched out about this that I rubber-banded back around and just hid, it was terrible, but I'm gonna try not to try so hard, if that makes any sense, and _hopefully_ the next update won't take a gazillion years. (I really did promise myself not to upload any more WIPs but you can at least rest assured there won't be horrible cliffhangers in here)
> 
> And!because the notes are already this long, I may as well ask, any cameos (species/character/place/time/etc) you want? (Other than River who is 100% guaranteed to show up) I'm treatin this plot loose-and-wild, so hopefully I'll manage to surprise you AND give you what you want! ;D

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, that's all there is right now, because I have an important question: where do you actually want me to go with this? Initially it was going to be basically just the reveal to the pack, but I thought it might be fun to have some adventures happen, and, possibly--some of Claudia's journal entries? I'm not sure whether to do those separately or like, spaced out throughout this. This is probably not going to be _incredibly_ long, but I don't have anything much planned. So just, feedback, if you please. (And also, sorry for cutting off here. Hopefully it's not a totally annoying cut off. (: )


End file.
